


Photographs and Memories

by liztrade



Category: Starship (Musical)
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Rare Pairings, mostly angst, team starkid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-04
Updated: 2013-12-04
Packaged: 2018-01-03 10:37:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1069473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liztrade/pseuds/liztrade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Krayonder's life just hasn't been the same since Taz left. Unable to cope one night, he let's the memories of happier times return.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Photographs and Memories

Krayonder opened his eyes when he heard the knock on the door. He hadn't really been sleeping, only drifting in and out of consciousness. This was nothing new, as he had been diagnosed with insomnia two months before. He was used to the permanent state of unfeeling. He looked at his clock and saw that it was 2 in the morning. No one should be there.

Unless…

"Taz?" Krayonder whispered quietly. He was met with silence.  
Maybe he dreamed it, the knocking. If someone did knock, it was on accident. Probably just Tootsie being clumsy. It would never be Taz at his door.

Krayonder stood up and turned on the lights. He pressed a button, opening his closet door, and lifted a wooden box from the top shelf. Very carefully, he removed the lid and was absorbed into the warm memories. The perfume of crushed flower petals began to fill the room.

The Christmas card that she'd given him was on top of the pile. Krayonder shut his eyes and let the memories return.

_"Feliz Navidad, Krayonder!"_

_Krayonder smiled at Taz and felt his heart race. "Is this for me?" he asked, gesturing to the card in her hand._

_"Of course it is," said Taz, "It's your Navidad card!"_

_"Thanks, Taz," Krayonder said. His nerves would not stay calm. "Um, your present is in my room. I'll, um, you stay here and I'll go get it-"_

_"Krayonder, I can walk to your room, you know." Taz was much more commanding than normal, but Krayonder didn't want to be any more embarrassed than he already was. The walk to his room was quiet, and he prayed to Dead God that she wouldn't notice the loud beating of his heart, or the sweat collecting under his arms._

_"Ok, um, we'll, I'll get your Christmas gift," Krayonder mumbled as they stepped into his small room. He opened the closet and found the wrapped present. He turned and found her standing behind him. Oh Dead God, why did she have to follow him in here? Krayonder took a deep breath and handed Taz the package. "Merry Christmas, Taz."_

_The seconds that it took Taz to unwrap the gift felt like hours. He watched her eyes widen and her mouth drop. Soon the expression of shock changed. Krayonder didn't expect the smile on her face, or the tears in her eyes._

_"Taz?" he asked, wringing his hands. "I know you like to read, and I thought that you'd like to read a favorite of mine. It took me awhile to find it in Spanish, but I wanted you to read it in your own language. Do you like it?"_

_Taz looked up and met his eyes. She simply stared, stray tears running down her cheeks. Krayonder felt like yelling for help; Taz was not one to cry. In fact, Krayonder had only seen Taz cry once. Instead of calling for Specs or Up, he settled on finding a panel in the floor to study. Anything to avoid her eyes. Eventually, the silence was too much and Krayonder looked up. A wild look had appeared in her eyes, and before he could react, Taz tackled him onto the bed, her arms wrapped tighly around his neck, and her lips soft against his own._

Krayonder put the worn Christmas card on his bed before moving onto the stack of photographs. Each told a story that he had gone over in his mind hundreds of times before. The order didn't matter. The picture on top focused on a bright field of flowers, a woman walking among them.

_It was a rare day that 15A2 landed on a peaceful planet, so when the opportunity rose that they could have a day off, every minute was precious. The crew spent their time relaxing in the shade of the large blue trees. Krayonder and Taz wandered around, eventually laying down in a field of orange and yellow flowers the size of hubcaps. They didn't need to say anything that morning, no words could matter in this situation. Krayonder picked a vibrant yellow flower and put it behind Taz's ear, earning a smile from her in return._

Krayonder held the pictures around the edges, trying not to smudge the memories that he held. Most of them were only Taz. He took some of these when she was fast asleep in his bed. It was the only time that she looked peaceful. Other pictures were her waking up and yelling at him for taking the pictures. She didn't really mind, she just liked the fake arguments. They'd start every morning like that before talking about other things.

Broken pieces of glass and plastic lined the bottom of the box, memories of the night Taz left.

_Krayonder rolled over in bed to see only a pillow next to him._

_“Taz?”_

_He heard the door open. Jumping to his feet, he turned on the light and found Taz, standing in the door with her suitcase in tow._

_"Taz, it's three in the morning, where are going?"_

_She avoided his eyes, and instead looked at her suitcase._

_"Taz," Krayonder repeated, his breathing became unsteady. "What are you- where are you-"_

_"I'm being transferred, Krayonder," Taz said quietly, now staring at the floor._

_The words spun in Krayonder's head. He was unable to grasp them. "You're being tran-, you're le-, you can't be, Taz."_

_"I'm sorry."_

_"There, there, there has to be something you can do!" The words all felt foreign to his tongue. "Up! Up can fix it."_

_She paused before shaking her head._

_"Taz..." Krayonder stepped forward and it felt like the starship would collapse around him. He put his hands on Taz's shoulders gently, and he noticed that she was shaking. "I'll go with you."_

_"No, Krayonder!" Taz stepped back and looked at him. Krayonder saw tears fall down her face. "I have to go."_

_"We'll make it work, Taz," Krayonder pleaded. "I'll visit you. We'll make it work."_

_Taz gave him a sad smile and shook her head. "Adiós, Krayonder."_

That was the last time that he saw her.

When Taz left, Krayonder went straight to Specs to tell her what happened. She told him that she was leaving with Up; they were being transferred together. That's when he smashed the camera. Two months later he heard February asking Bug what she should wear to Taz's wedding. Another month passed and the newsfeeds were filled with pictures of the happy bride and groom.

Krayonder lay back on the bed, his eyes stinging with tears. Taz had everything that she'd ever wanted.

All he had left was a box of memories.

**Author's Note:**

> This fic takes inspiration from the Jim Croce song 'Photographs and Memories'.


End file.
